Kokoro no Hikari: The Twilight Blade
by Genesis-VIII
Summary: RE-POSTED FROM OLD ACCOUNT! Replica No. ii, AKA Krixu, begins her life as the true fourteenth member of the Organization. She gains friends and enemies alike as she strives for Kingdom Hearts. But where did she come from? Axel x OC, Rated T
1. Day 4: Birth

**Okie-dokie, let's try this again! I uploaded this story on a different account, but the old one went belly-up before I could get beyone chapter 1. I am planning on going on with this, but the chapters are pretty long and it will take a while to update. Please enjoy!**

Kingdom Hearts ©Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix, and the Walt Disney Company. All other original characters and plot elements owned by Delaney Cruickshank. This rewrite is for private and entertainment use only, and no profits are being made. Please support the official release.

The excerpts are taken from Ansem Report #1 (KH) and the first Secret Report (Days), respectively.

Axel's be good/good at it line was said by Quinton Flynn during the Adventures in Anime panel at Youmacon 2007

* * *

_Darkness._

_All around me is black and cold._

_I see nothing._

_I feel nothing._

_I AM nothing._

_Is any of this__real?_

_Or is it a dream?_

_A memory?_

_But wait…what's that light up ahead?_

* * *

I wasn't sure how long I'd been here. I couldn't remember leaving the dark place. When I reached awareness, I realized that I was lying on my…my front…on a surface that was – something flashed in my mind. **Cold**. My entire **body** (another one…is that what I am? A body?) was cold. I shook to try and get rid of the cold. The surface was **hard**, too; I felt pressure on my body from it. It felt really weird.

There were strange…**sounds**…going on in the new place, too. They were really loud, and they hurt my…**ears**? Yeah, ears. There was a beep kind of sound, and a buzz kind, and a whine, and this really high-pitched noise that sounded like something was dying (I think those are the words to describe them…)

There were odd **smells**, too. I couldn't remember smelling anything before, but now a barrage of smells attacked my **nose**, some sweet, some sour, some that hurt. And there was this cold, sweet smell that went up through my nose and **mouth** whenever I moved my **chest**. I tried to stop it, but I felt really sick after a minute, so I just left it alone.

I couldn't see anything, just like the dark place. Everything still seemed pretty dark to me, but not as dark as before. I wasn't afraid anymore. The dim light gave me…gave me courage to finally open my **eyes**.

For a moment, the pure white light blinded me, but then everything slowly came into focus. I lifted my **head** (it felt really heavy – I was starting to feel sick again), pushed myself off the surface, and rocked back onto my **knees** so that I was…**sitting up**. Something thick and silvery fell into my eyes, blocking my view. I impatiently brushed it away, and – wait, what's that? Oh, my **hand**…is that right? Wow, look at it…so small and white…I flexed my **fingers** in wonder, watching the muscles flex. The silvery stuff suddenly came into my eyes again, so I brushed it away a second time. But it came back as soon as I pulled my hand away. This went on for a bit before I finally grabbed the silver stuff and held it out of reach, feeling a slight tug at the top of my head as I did so.

Problem solved, I went back to looking around the new space, drinking in every little detail. The cold surface I'd been lying on was divided into white squares, each with the same pattern: a gray-colored shape that had three points up top and rounded out into two sections on the bottom. The space on the surface around me was covered with a sticky, bad-smelling orange liquid (which seemed to be all over me, too). There were other things resting on the surface, too – thin columns snaking beneath more (though much smaller) surfaces, some bigger than others. Some of them had strange clear objects of all different shapes and sizes, others had the same types of objects with different-colored liquids in them, and others had thin sheets stacked on them, and others had nothing at all. The surface I was sitting on had other surfaces near its edges, meeting at direct angles. There was even a surface a little ways above me. I looked behind me and saw a large tube thing that went all the way up to the **ceiling**. There was a blinking red light on top of it that was flashing every time one of those whining noises was made. The tube looked like it had been made of glass, but there was a big hole in the front and a lot of jagged shards lying around me in the puddle; maybe it had broken. There were some small gray wiry things dangling down inside the tube, dripping the same orange liquid I was sitting in.

That weird high-pitched sound I couldn't name was still going on, but as I listened, the sound transformed into separate sounds…**words**. "Alive! It's alive! My experiment was a success! Oh, I'm such a _genius_! Ha, ha!!!" (This last noise was really odd. It was even higher-pitched than the "words," and it was a lot louder. My ears really hurt when I heard it, and it made me feel scared again.)

I looked back around and made a shocked little noise, my hand dropping in surprise (the silvery stuff came back). In an empty area of the surface there was a large thing flailing around…a…a **person**. A **man**. It looked like he was the source of the words and sounds (**talking**). He was very tall, with pale skin, a long pointed nose, and big green eyes that were sparkling with **excitement**. He had long, platinum-blond **hair** that was swishing back and forth in the man's erratic movements (**dancing**?). Everything below his neck was covered in a pitch-black cloth that fell to his ankles; I could barely see the separate black material covering his feet (**shoes**? **Boots**? Where are all these words coming from, anyway?).

"They laughed at me," the man was saying, spinning around in **joy**. "Marluxia and Larxene, they said the Replica Program was doomed to fail…that _all _my experiments were failures…but not this time, no! No. ii is alive, and our plan can move forward at last! All thanks to me!"

I felt my mouth curve down as I stared at the man. He was acting so bizarre…did all people act like this? What was he talking about? There were no more words in my head, nothing that explained what a Replica Program or a Marluxia or a Larxene is. And what did he mean by "number two"?

There was a sudden rush, and I felt my arms clamped to my side and something ram into my front. The man was doing something to me…a…a…**hug**. "Oh, my precious creation, you and I will do great things together! Great things! Thanks to you, I'll finally get the respect I deserve!"

I somehow got the idea that a hug was supposed to be nice, but this didn't feel nice at all. He was holding me too tight; I couldn't do that chest-moving thing anymore. I started wriggling around, trying to get out of his grip.

"Ooh, response!" the man said loudly, letting go. I let the sweet-smelling stuff go through my nose again, relieved. "Perfect! You're right, I need to test your functions…let's see…No. ii, stand up."

I looked up at him blankly, my brow furrowed. The word **stand** popped into my brain this time – getting off my knees and onto my feet, completely vertical, like what the man was doing – but what was number two?

The man's mouth curved downwards, and his eyes got smaller. "_Stand up_, No. ii."

I blinked at him a few times. Was he talking to me? Slowly, I reached up and placed a shaking hand on my chest, wanting to ask a question but not sure how.

The man's eyes got big again, and his mouth curved up this time. "You understand! Brilliant! Yes, you're No. ii. I want you to stand up."

_I'm _No. ii? Why didn't he tell me earlier? Okay, guess I need to do that standing thing now…I slowly moved my legs so that my feet were placed firmly on the floor, and then slowly pushed myself upwards and straightened my back. I shook and wobbled back and forth, my balance lost; I almost fell down, but I managed to keep my feet on the surface. Why did he want me to do this? Sitting was easier…

"Good! Yes!" the man encouraged, nodding his head. "Now…listening and comprehension seems functional, but just in case…No. ii, my name is Vexen. _Vexen_. Do you understand?"

Vexen? What that was this person was called? It was so different from No. ii…An understanding of **names** went through my head. Yes, "Vexen" is what people called him. I nodded.

"Good, good. Now, what is my name?"

My mouth went down again (**frown**). Didn't he just tell me his name? Why is he asking me? Did he forget it?

Vexen blinked, and then made that "ha, ha" noise again (**laughter**). "Ah, yes, too unspecific…No. ii, I want you to speak. Tell me my name."

_Speak_? Did he mean make words? I don't know how to do that! I shook my head quickly, feeling my eyes get bigger.

"None of that, now. You need to try and speak. I know you're able to – I distinctly remember adding a working voice box. You will be considered a failure if you cannot perform basic functions."

I figured that a **failure** was a bad thing, and I didn't want to cause any trouble. But I honestly didn't know how I was supposed to speak. I shook my head again.

"It's simple. You just need to produce pulmonary pressure in your lungs which will create phonation in the glottis…"

I didn't understand what he was saying, so I stopped listening. Okay…whenever Vexen moved his mouth, words came out. Maybe that'll work for me, too. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I closed it, opened it, closed it, and opened it again, but still nothing. I suddenly felt **angry**; why couldn't I get it? Maybe if I tried again…

"…in the larynx which then is modified by the vocal tract – eh?"

"V…v…" Vexen. _Veeeehk-seeeeen_. "V…veh…"

Vexen nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes! Keep going, No. ii! _Vexen_. My name is _Vexen."_

"Veh…vehk…_sen_." I felt my mouth turn up a lot (**smile**). "Vexen!" I repeated **triumphantly**.

Vexen's smile was so wide that it looked like his face was going to split in half. "Yes! _Yes!!_ The power of speech! You're a success after all! Excellent! Now, only a few more tests left, and – ah, the Superior should see this…Saïx, too…then they'll see how brilliant you are! No. ii, stay put. I'll be right back!" Vexen turned away from me and lifted his arm. All of a sudden, this huge swirling black thing appeared right in front of him, right out of his hand! I made another surprised sound (**gasp**?), but Vexen didn't explain it to me. He moved his legs forward until the black thing swallowed him up, and he was gone. I was alone again.

I looked around the empty space (**room**…so many new words! How did I know them all?), completely lost. What was I supposed to do now? Vexen told me to stay where I was while he got something called a "Superior" and something called a "Saïx," so I guess I just need to wait. Could I sit back down, then? I felt like I was going to **fall **and get **hurt** on the broken glass…

No, wait a second. Vexen said he wanted to do more things like stand and talk and whatever. He seemed really happy when I did what he wanted, but really mad when I didn't. I don't want him to get mad. I don't want any trouble. Maybe I should start practicing…but what? So far, Vexen's had me do stuff that he's done – "basic functions," he called them. So, what else has he done? Dancing. Laughing. Hugging. Making that black thing that he disappeared into. Doing that leg-moving thing – oh, _**walking**_. That's how people get from one place to another. That's basic and necessary, right? I'll try that.

Struggling to keep my balance, I slowly lifted one foot off the ground. I leaned forward a little and started to put it down in front of me, but stopped. There was broken glass all around me. Glass hurts. I don't want to step on glass and get hurt. But I need to practice walking…I put my foot down under me again, mind whirling. How was I supposed to practice walking without getting hurt? I looked around me; the glass pieces were scattered all around me, but the sides of the room and the space around the big tube was clear. I could practice there. But how could I get over there without stepping on the glass?

**Jump**. Bending one's knees and propelling oneself over an obstruction.

I smiled widely. All I'd have to do is jump, and I could start walking. Two tests at once! That would make Vexen happy for sure! My smile disappeared as I thought about my plan. If I undershot my jump and landed on the glass, I could get seriously hurt. I only had one try…but I wasn't going to back down now. If I did, I'd be weak. And I _hated_ being weak. Being weak is like being a failure. I'm _not _a failure. Vexen told me so.

Taking a deep breath, I bent my knees and pushed my arms back, my eyes narrowing. I stood still for a moment, eyes locked on the other side of the room, and then launched myself into the air. I landed squarely on my feet just beyond the glass, but then I wobbled and fell forward, hitting the surface (**floor**, or maybe **ground**) hard and bumping my head. "Ow!" I cried, putting my hand to the hurt spot. My eyes started to water, and I started seeing weird lights and colors. Pain…yeah, pain was bad. I'll avoid that in the future. But I got to the other side without stepping on glass. That's something.

I stood back up, my arms held out for balance. Okay, walking. One foot in front of the other, just like Vexen. I lifted my foot into the air again and, as I started to fall over, placed it firmly on the ground in front of me. So far so good. I lifted my back foot, but fell over before I could put it down, managing not to hit my head this time. I could've just stayed on the floor, but I stood up and tried again. I made it three steps this time before falling – progress. Good. Gotta keep trying, though. I refused to be weak.

I kept at it for a while, and before long I was able to walk around the entire room without falling. Feeling very proud of myself, I decided I'd walk around the room a couple more times before – WHOA! What's that?! "Vexen?" I asked, turning around. No, it wasn't Vexen, but someone was there right by the big broken tube. It was a person, but one with a curvier body and smaller features – a **woman**. No, a **girl**. She was smaller than Vexen, and just a little thinner. She had small hands, but seemed to have really large feet. There was a wiry sort of strength about her, especially in her arms and legs; if it came to a fight, she'd be tough to beat. Her skin was deathly pale, almost white. Her hair was longer than Vexen's, wavy, and silver-colored. She was wearing a single piece of cloth that fell down to about halfway down the top part of her legs, held up by two straps on her shoulders – what was it? The word came a little slower this time: **dress**. I liked it; it was **pretty**. But I thought her eyes were a lot prettier. I didn't know if they were blue or green, but they were really big and bright. They kind of reminded me of something…I tried remembering what it was, but I could only remember a calm, sloshing sort of sound.

Where did the girl come from? I hadn't heard her come in. Maybe she'd used one of those black things like Vexen. She was strong, but it didn't look like she wanted to fight. She was just looking at me, both curious and a little edgy. She hadn't said anything to me yet.

I figured that now would be a good time to practice talking; it was only **polite**, after all. Let's see, greetings…"H…hello," I said softly. To my surprise, the other girl said the same thing at the exact same time as me (although I hadn't really heard her voice). She looked as surprised as I did. I found that a little **funny**, so I giggled (it felt good laughing, but my laugh was so different than Vexen's). The other girl, once again, giggled at the same time as me, and then looked surprised and a little scared. Okay, it isn't funny anymore. Now it's just weird.

An idea suddenly popped into my head. I slowly lifted my left hand into the air and waved. The girl did the same thing. I waved with the other hand; she did, too. I stuck out my tongue; so did she. That's when I realized that there was no other girl in the room – it was just me, looking into my…my **reflection **in the glass. I took another look at myself, smiling slightly. Wow, is that what I look like? So different than Vexen…nicer, somehow…

There was a sudden noise behind me, and I turned to see another one of those black things appear out of nowhere. Vexen walked right out of it, unharmed. I smiled, happy to see him again, but my smile disappeared as soon as I saw the other two people coming out of the swirling thing.

They were both men, like Vexen, and they were both wearing that same long black fabric – a **coat**. The first man was taller than Vexen, and his skin was a lot tanner, too. He seemed very strong. He had long silver hair, like me, but his was lighter, messier, and was a bit layered and thick. He moved very slowly, drawing out each motion. When he saw me looking at him, he smiled at me, but it wasn't in a friendly way. It made me nervous.

The second man looked shorter and younger than the first, but just as strong. His hair was long, too, but it was colored blue instead of silver or blond. He had pointed ears, oddly enough (I reached up and touched my own rounded ears), in which he had placed some kind of metal thing (**earrings**, a kind of **jewelry**). He had piercing yellow eyes and a scar in the shape of an X across his face. He did not smile when he saw me; he just gave me a cold, disapproving stare. It was even worse than the smile.

I was starting to get scared now. I didn't know these men, and it didn't look as though I would _want _to know them. "V-Vexen," I stammered weakly, my eyes never leaving the strangers. I wanted to ask who they were, but I couldn't find the words.

Vexen didn't answer. He wasn't even looking at me; he was talking to the strangers. "I told you that you wouldn't regret it, Superior, and look! My wonderful creation is alive, and has so far been able to perform every task I have given her. All I need to do now is – eh? W-where did she go?" He was looking back at the spot in the middle of the glass shards and orange liquid. "She was right there! I left her in that _exact spot_ just a moment ago! Where could she –?!"

"Vexen," I called out quietly, waving my hand a bit to catch his attention.

Vexen jumped in surprise and looked over at me, eyes wide with shock. He looked at the old spot, then at me, and then back at the spot. "…how did you get over there?"

"Presumably it _walked_, Vexen," the blue-haired man replied **sarcastically**. "If your Replica is as successful as you say it is, then surely it must be able to perform the most mindless of tasks." There it was again…that word, "Replica." What did it mean? Was he talking about me? Why call me "it" instead of "she"? I **shuddered** involuntarily. The man's voice was flat and toneless, but it still seemed very haughty and scornful. I didn't like it at all.

"B-but I didn't teach her how to do that!" Vexen protested, eyes wide with amazement. "You must understand, Saïx, walking is much more complicated than you realize, particularly for a being that is newly aware! How could she have walked all the way over there on her own?!"

"I…I just…did," I answered quietly, sick of being ignored. "I tried w-walking…and I w-walked."

Vexen stared at me in wonder, a smile slowly creeping onto his face. "Fascinating…it appears your instincts and mental capabilities are more advanced than I originally calculated…your vocabulary is rapidly expanding on its own as well…but what about the glass shards? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head, feeling some of my pride return. "No…I j-jumped over it."

"What's that on its head?" the blue-haired man interrupted suddenly.

"What?" Vexen gasped, looking concerned. "Where?"

"On its forehead. That red mark."

Vexen leaned in closer to me (I shied away, a little disturbed) and peered at my head. "Hmm…I can't see it. Her hair keeps getting in her face…" Oh, that silvery stuff was my hair? I guess that makes sense. "…hold on one moment, if you please."

Vexen straightened up and walked over to one of those smaller surfaces held up by columns (**table**) and began sifting through the **papers**, apparently searching for something. "Now, where is it? I left here as a precaution…let's see, now…ah-ha! Here it is!" He turned back around and grinned jubilantly, clutching a thin black piece of cloth in his fist (the word didn't come as quickly as any of the others, but I'm pretty sure it was called a **ribbon**). "Here we are! Now if you'll just wait one moment…" He walked behind me and disappeared from view, and I suddenly felt a sharp tug at the top of my head as my hair was pulled out of my eyes. I gave a little gasp of pain and tried to squirm out of his grip.

"Don't move, you silly girl!" Vexen scolded, tugging my hair back a little tighter. "There we go. All done."

I reached up and warily felt the top of my head. My hair had been pulled back from my face, gathered up at the top of my head, and held there by the black ribbon. It hung down freely from the tie, and had been secured pretty tightly. "What…w-what did y-you…?" I stammered weakly, confused.

"I put your hair back in a ponytail," Vexen explained somewhat impatiently. "Your hair is out of your face now, so your vision will greatly improve. Your hair will be much more manageable as well."

"O-oh…" Now I remembered – girls wore this style when they wanted their hair out of their faces for sports, or just to look stylish. It felt a little weird, but I kind of like it. I can see everything a lot better now, at least. "Th-thank you, Vexen."

"Not at all, my dear. Now hold still a moment and let me look at that mark…" He came back around me and inspected my forehead again. After a few seconds, he laughed once again, looking relieved. "Why, Saïx, this is nothing, nothing at all! Just a bruised cranium, is all. She must've fallen while learning to walk – isn't that precious? No, absolutely nothing to worry about."

"I should certainly hope not, Vexen," the blue-haired man, Saïx, remarked. For the first time, he smiled, but it was a cruel smile, not at all friendly. "It would be unfortunate for you if we learned that you have been wasting our time and resources on a _defective_ puppet."

I didn't know what a puppet was, or why he was looking at me when he said it, but I _did _know that he was insulting me. He thought he was better than me. I didn't even know this guy – what right did he have to look down on me? "I AM NOT DEFECTIVE!" I shouted at Saïx, glaring daggers. My anger gave me clear speech. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I – mmph! _Mmph_!"

Vexen's hand suddenly clamped down over my mouth, and he wrapped his other arm around me so I couldn't pull away. "Ah-ha-ha, isn't she a laugh?" Vexen giggled, sounding a little **hysterical**. He didn't look amazed or angry or happy anymore – now he looked scared. "That's my creation, always one for jokes, ha-ha…eh…" Saïx was looking at the two of us, eyes narrowed and lip curled back, revealing oddly pointed teeth. He looked just as mad as I had been. I suddenly felt scared again. Vexen made an "eep" noise and looked over at the other man desperately. "Superior, please, you must understand! No. ii is but a new creature, relying solely on primitive instincts! She couldn't possibly have known –"

The other man slowly raised one hand, and Vexen fell silent. "It is most impressive," he murmured, gazing at me, "how a being as newly aware as herself can rely upon the yet-foggy memories of her Other Self to guide her." His voice was low and deep, with no underlying **emotion **at all. It had a very **calming **effect, but what he said was confusing. Other Self? What was he talking about? Hadn't I always been me?

"However," he went on, "memories of a past life cannot teach her everything about the present one." He looked over at Vexen, expression icy. "I suggest, Vexen, that you teach her, if her education concerns you so."

Vexen laughed nervously again. "R-right away, S-S-Superior." He let go of my mouth and waist (I **coughed **a bit and shuddered again) and looked down at me, smile too wide and eyes too big. "No. ii, allow me to introduce our Superior, Lord Xemnas. He is the leader of the Organization which we so humbly serve. And this is Saïx –" His nose wrinkled slightly. "– our _second-in-command_. They must be treated with respect and veneration at all times."

I nodded a bit, frowning. These guys sounded pretty important – and pretty dangerous, too. I don't think I'm a part of this "Organization" these guys head up, but it looks like Vexen is; he could get in trouble for what I said. I don't know if I like Vexen or not, but I didn't want him to be punished, especially by these ferocious-looking men. But what could I do? It was my fault, so maybe I could fix it…but how?

Right on cue, the word **apology** floated across my mind. Resolved, I stepped away from Vexen and bowed my head respectfully, trying to look serious and hoping I knew the right words. "N-nice to meet y-you, S-Superior and S-S-Saïx. I'm…sorry…I said those things."

"Hmph," Saïx grunted quietly. I guess he doesn't forgive me. Or Vexen.

I was trying to think of some other way to repent when I felt a big hand suddenly come to rest on my shoulder. The touch was light, even friendly, but it filled me with a sense of **dread** anyway. "Do not lament your anger," Xemnas said kindly, a dark smile on his face. "It is the greatest source of power in existence, one that will make you stronger than any of us here." I looked up at him, eyes wide with puzzlement. He did not look at me, but kept his hand on my shoulder. "You said you wanted us to observe the testing, Vexen?"

Vexen snapped back to attention. "Uh, yes, right away, Superior!" His expression became thoughtful, and he cupped his chin in his hand musingly. "Now, let's see…basic locomotion and vocabulary are advancing at an alarming rate…personality and physical similarities are obvious…ah. Mental necessities." He went back to the table, grabbed a piece of paper, walked back over to me, and held the page out. "Here. Read what it says."

I took the paper, lost. "R…read?"

Vexen nodded. "Yes. Look at the words on the paper and tell me what they say."

Oh, that's right…**reading**. Reading, I remembered, was good. It let you learn about new things and experience different people and places. I have a hazy memory of being unhappy living where I was, so I read a lot to learn about life outside my home. More confident now, I held the paper up to my face and scanned the letters printed neatly on the page. It took a few minutes, but I finally got it:

Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that.

I am blessed with my people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand.

I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times.

Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born?

How does it come to affect us so?

As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness.

I finished reading and looked up expectantly, unsure of what to do next.

Vexen was looking excited again, nodding vigorously and wringing his hands together. "Yes…yes, excellent! Now, how about this…?" He grabbed hold of my arm and dragged me over to the table, Xemnas and Saïx following lazily. As I rubbed my sore arm, he took the piece of paper, turned it over, placed it on the table, and handed me a little yellow stick thing with a pointy end and a pink round end…I think it's called a **pencil**. "Now, take this, and write something on the page. Anything you like."

I was already thinking about reading, so **writing** itself would be less of a problem. But what should I write? He said anything…he'd probably want to see what I wrote (the thought made me nervous again)…but could I keep what I wrote? If so, I should probably write down something I learned – no, the _most important thing_ I learned. Hmm…I took the pencil, thought for a moment, and slowly wrote out:

_My name is No. ii_

I picked up the paper and held it out to Vexen, muttering, "Here."

Vexen snatched the paper out of my hand, looking triumphant. "Ah-ha! Look, Superior – she's done it!" He handed the paper to Xemnas, who calmly began to read it. "You see? This proves it – this proves that every single one of my programs was a success!"

Xemnas ignored him and smiled down at me slightly. "Well done."

"Thank you," I answered proudly, standing a little straighter.

Saïx did not seem so impressed. "With all due respect, Vexen, these tests are useless wastes of time. We began this project for one reason and one reason only, and you have neglected to confirm the results. There is one necessary function it has yet to perform." Xemnas looked up in mild interest.

Vexen blinked a couple times, subdued and confused. "A-and what test would that be, Saïx?"

Saïx glared at him. "I'm sure you know the one."

Vexen thought a moment. "Ah…right, then." He cleared his throat and turned to me, trying to look **intimidating**. "No. ii, I have one last test for you." He paused for **dramatics**. "I want you to summon your Keyblade."

My Keyblade…there was no word in my head, but there didn't need to be. I knew what he wanted. I held my right arm out to my side and thought, _Come, Keyblade_. There was a quick flash of light, and just like that, I was holding my beautiful weapon. My Way to the Dawn. I smiled down fondly at it, squeezing the handle affectionately. We'd fought a lot of battles together before I went to the dark place, so many that it no longer felt like a separate object – it was comfortable and natural-feeling, like an extension of my arm.

That was the easiest thing I'd done so far, but it had the biggest reaction. Vexen started jumping up and down excitedly again, pointing at my Keyblade and make strangled noises of happiness. Saïx's eyebrows shot up, and he nodded shortly. Xemnas nodded as well, an approving look on his face. There was some kind of shadow passing behind his eyes, but I blinked and it disappeared. Did I imagine it?

Vexen finally found his voice. "HA! You see, Saïx? A one-hundred-percent success! Kingdom Hearts will be completed in no time with such a marvel!"

_Kingdom Hearts…?_ I opened my mouth to ask what that meant, but Saïx started speaking first. "Need I remind you, Vexen, that the addition of Number XIII has reduced our need for your little pet project? One mistake, one error in its execution, and it's out. Do you understand?"

Vexen quit jumping. He looked a little upset. "Completely."

"And what of No. i?"

"Still in the gestation period. I had a bit more trouble with initial construction and the life-force maintenance, but it should be completed within a few days."

Saïx nodded. "Very well. Dismiss your Keyblade, No. ii." I did as I was told, disappointed that I hadn't fought anything. "Shall we, Superior?" He held out one arm to the side, and another one of those swirling black things appeared out of his hand (I was kind of expecting it, but it still made me jump).

Xemnas slowly shook his head. "Not yet." He looked down at the paper I'd written on, frowning slightly. "We are defined by numbers," he murmured softly, "but we yet have names. A name defines an object. Describes the span of it. Gives it purpose. No. ii lives, and as such it should be given a name. To define it. To give it purpose." He lifted his arm, drew it back against his body, and then swung it slowly in front of my face. To my astonishment, glowing white letters appeared in front of me, facing Xemnas. I tried reading them, but they looked backwards to me. _R…I…K…_

Before I could finish reading them, they suddenly began to spin. They started slow, but then they went faster and faster until they were a blur. I felt dizzy. After a little bit, Xemnas stretched out his hand again, and an 'X' suddenly appeared with the other letters. The letters stopped spinning, arranged now in a brand new order, so I could read them pretty clearly. I tried sounding out what they said. "Cree…zoo? Kree-sue…K…_Krixu_!"

Xemnas nodded with approval. "Yes. A new name for a new life."

New life? I'd had an old one? I decided not to think too much on it (too many confusing things were already going on) and instead focus on my name. Krixu…I thought it was kind of pretty, if a little unusual. Much better than No. ii, at any rate. Hey, that reminds me…"Am…am I gonna b-be called No. ii again?"

Xemnas slowly shook his head. "You will have a new number…Number XIV."

I frowned. "Fourteen? W-why fourteen?"

"If I may, Superior," Saïx cut in suddenly. He stepped forward without waiting for a reply and stared down at me coldly, eyes narrowed. "Krixu, as our program gave you existence and you have nowhere else to go, we are permitting you to join our Organization. Using your Keyblade, you will collect hearts for us and perform other remedial tasks; in return, you will be given shelter, nourishment, proper clothing, and protection. However, if you disobey us or prove useless, you will be exterminated. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Y-yes," I stammered quietly. I didn't quite understand everything he had said, but I got the gist of it – Saïx and Xemnas and Vexen would look after me and give me a place to stay, but only if I did what they told me to. Sounded like a pretty good deal to me. Saïx was right – I had nowhere else to go. Heck, even if I did, I had no idea what to do there. At least these Organization guys had it all planned out. "Thank you, Saïx," I said softly, smiling up at him. Saïx just grunted and said nothing.

Xemnas nodded slowly, smiling coolly. "Excellent. Vexen, her quarters have been prepared. Please show her the way." He gestured to the swirling thing behind him.

Vexen ducked his head respectfully. "Yes, Superior. Come, No. ii…ah, I mean, Krixu." He held his hand out towards the swirly thing.

I felt my eyes bug out. They wanted me to go in _there_? What if it ate me? What if I got hurt? I shook my head back and forth.

Vexen sighed. "Oh, come now, Krixu, it won't hurt you. It is merely a dark corridor – a portal to take you from here to your new home. I assure you, you'll be perfectly unharmed when you come out the other side. After all, I used one not ten minutes ago, and I'm perfectly fine, am I not?"

…I think there's a **joke **I could make there, but I probably shouldn't.

He had a good point, though. None of the others looked hurt, and I kinda wanted to get out of this room. I was scared, but I knew I shouldn't show it in front of everyone else. I would hate to look weak. Taking a deep **breath**, I rushed towards the "portal" and jumped into it, trying not to **scream**.

The inside of the portal was really dark and cold, and I couldn't see anything at all. I felt like I was being smothered, like the life was being sucked out of me…I might have screamed after all, but I couldn't be sure…it was the dark place all over again…and…and then all the darkness swirled away and I fell to the floor, gasping and shaking.

There was a _whooshing _sound, and then I heard Vexen's disapproving voice above me. "_Tsk_, _tsk_…no, this won't do, this won't do at _all_.You must learn to tolerate the corridors – they are essential to Organization life. Now, get on your feet."

I pulled myself up and shakily did as I was told, wobbling again. I felt dizzy for a second, but the feeling passed and I was able to look around. We were in another room, but this one was a lot narrower and looked like it stretched on forever – I think it's called a **hallway**. The floor and **walls** were all the same whitish-blue color, and the tiles on the floor had the same pattern on it as the ones in the other room. There was a rectangular-shaped indentation in the wall in front of me, with a silver circular thing sticking out of it…a **door **and **doorknob**. There were three letters engraved in silver on the door: X, I, and V. What did that mean?

Before I could ask, Vexen opened the door and turned to me. "This is your room, N – Krixu. You will stay here during your time with us. I want you to stay in here for the rest of the night; no wandering around the castle unsupervised, now! I'll come and get you tomorrow. I'm nearly certain Superior left a coat for you in there; put it on right away. It's our uniform, and if Saïx catches you without it, it'll be both our necks, understand?"

I nodded. "Yes, Vexen."

"Good. Well, I hope your time working with us will be productive and at least somewhat enjoyable. I can promise that we'll make good use of you. Good use, indeed."

Okay, well, that was **creepy**. "…thank you, Vexen. Good night," I added, remembering what happened before the dark place when it was time to go to my bedroom.

"Good night, my creation. Until tomorrow." With a quick nod and another odd smile, Vexen turned away and walked off down the hall, muttering to himself.

I walked into my new room and closed the door behind me, looking around in wonder and feeling many new words pass before my mind. The room was fairly large, even though there wasn't a lot of stuff in it. A **bed** was pressed up against the wall across from the door, with white sheets and a blue-gray frame. The same symbol that was on the floor tiles had also been carved into the top of the bed. There was a **nightstand** with two **drawers**,a **clock**, and a **lamp** next to the bed, and a larger **chest of drawers** further along the wall. I had no idea what I'd keep in the drawers, as I didn't have any other clothes or possessions. On the wall across from the drawers was a full-length **mirror**. There was another door next to the mirror; looking inside, I saw that it led into a **bathroom** (_thank goodness, _I thought suddenly, although I wasn't quite sure why it was such a relief). There was a small bag of **toiletries** by the **sink**, and **towels** were already hanging up (they were silver-colored and had those same three letters that were on the door). There was a large **window **back in the main room above my new bed; from here, I could see that the **sky **was dark with **clouds**.

I suddenly noticed a black fabric spread across the foot of my bed – the Organization's coat. Remembering Vexen's order, I crossed the room and picked up the coat. The fabric was cool and felt like **leather**, and the coat itself fell to my **ankles**. There were two silver ornaments hanging from the hood, and a **chain **connected the two sides as well as two **zippers**. I looked over the coat for a little while longer, and then slipped the coat over my head and zipped the first zipper up just below my **collarbone** and the second one at my knees.

As soon as the coat was in place, I suddenly felt a strange pressure on my legs, feet, and hands. I gave a little cry of surprise and looked down, pulling back the bottom flaps. My dress had disappeared, and in its place was a pair of tight black pants. My feet, bare a few seconds ago, were now covered in a pair of black leather boots that went up past my knees. My hands were now covered in **gloves**, too. But I don't remember putting all this on…just the coat…wait…experimentally, I undid the zipper on the coat and let it fall to the floor. Right then, the pants, gloves, and boots shimmered out of view, and I was wearing my white dress again. I put the coat back on, and the new clothes appeared again. Huh…I guess it's a **magic** coat, or something. Awesome.

I wasn't sure what I should do next. Vexen probably wanted me to go to sleep, but I wasn't **tired **yet. But there wasn't anything else to do, and Vexen told me not to leave the room. Feeling **bored**, I crawled onto the bed and looked out the window, crossing my arms and leaning on the sill. Looking down, I saw a bunch of really tall **buildings** – **skyscrapers**, maybe – reaching up to the sky. There were a bunch of bright lights streaming from each building. I supposed I was in a **city**, but I didn't see any other people or hear any noises…didn't anyone live there? Well, maybe cities are really quiet. I wouldn't know. I've never been to a city.

"Nice view, huh?"

I gasped in surprise and turned around quickly, almost falling again. There was another person standing in the doorway – another Organization member, by the look of his clothes. He looked a lot taller than I was, and really skinny, too. He had spiky, bright red hair and sparkling green eyes. There were these little marks underneath his eyes, too; I didn't know if he was born with them or if he put them there himself. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, and he was smiling at me in a detached, **amused** sort of way.

"'Course, the weather's just killin' me," he grumbled, uncrossing his arms and striding into my room. "Rain, clouds, lightning…would a little sunshine be too much to ask?"

I wasn't sure what to make of this guy, but he had come into my room without permission, and he looked pretty dangerous to me. Trying to look threatening, I called my Way to the Dawn and shouted, "Who are you?!"

The man didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked up in awe at my Keyblade. "So it's true," he murmured, eyes wide. "We've got another one…"

_Another one what? _"Answer me!" I demanded. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The man's head snapped up and he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy, kid! I'm not gonna hurt you – I'm on your side, see?" He fingered his coat.

I let my Keyblade disappear, but still kept my guard up. This guy seemed unpredictable to me. "Okay…but you still haven't answered my questions."

"Hmm? Oh, right. The name's Axel." He lifted his hand and pressed his pointer finger to the side of his head. "Got it memorized?"

I blinked, a little confused. "Uh…yeah, I think so," I answered, nodding.

He nodded approvingly, grinning. "Good, you're a quick learner, kid."

"My name's not '_kid_'," I growled. "It's Krixu."

"Krixu, huh? Nice name. Mind if I sit down?" Without waiting for an answer, he crossed the room and plopped down next to me on the bed, stretching out his arms behind him, leaning back, and crossing one leg over the other. "Well, as for your other question, I'm here to give my greetings and well-wishes to the newest member of our fine Organization, and to clear up any questions or concerns thereof."

"Oh…kay…um, actually, I don't understand what's going on at all."

"Full package, huh? No problem, I expected as much…let's see, uh…um…well, let's start with the Organization itself. You and I are a part of this group called Organization XIII. Got it memorized?"

He liked to say that a lot, didn't he? "Organization XIII. Yeah, I got it. What does the Organization do?"

"Excellent question. It's our job to…uh…well we need to…um…hmm…" Axel was quiet for a long time, scratching the back of his head in concentration. "…you know what? That's a dumb question. Ask me another one."

I frowned in confusion, my brow furrowing. "But you just said –"

"I know what I said. Ask me another one."

"…"

"…"

Sounded to me like he didn't quite know himself. Shouldn't he know, if he's part of the Organization? Oh, well. I'll ask Vexen later. "Okay. Does everyone in the Organization wear black coats?"

Axel nodded, seemingly relieved at the change of subject. "Yup. They're a symbol of our brotherhood and fidelity or some random crap like that. Mostly, though, the coat helps us create Corridors of Darkness."

"You mean those swirly black things?" I asked. "I used one of those. That's how I came here."

Axel nodded. "Yup. Corridors of Darkness are how we get from world to world. Of course, since we're traveling through ultimate darkness every day – sometimes several times a day – there's a teeny tiny risk to our health and sanity. So we wear these coats to protect us from the darkness. Were you wearing a coat when you used a Corridor?"

I shook my head. "No."

Axel shook his head and sighed heavily. "Ooh, not good. Don't make a habit of it in the future, m'kay? You probably just felt really dizzy this time, but if you keep doing it you'll get _seriously _screwed up."

I nodded in understanding, but then something suddenly hit me. "Hey, wait…you said you use the Corridors to 'get from world to world.' Are you saying…there's more than one world?"

Axel nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying, kiddo. There's hundreds – maybe even _thousands _– of worlds out there. Chances are you're gonna see a whole bunch of 'em while you're working for us."

Other worlds…they really did exist…and I could go see them! _I knew they were real. I knew it._

"The world we're in right now," Axel was saying, "is where we base the Organization, the World that Never Was – kinda depressing, but there you go. This castle where we live is called the Castle that Never Was. And the city below is called the –"

"City that Never Was," I finished, feeling proud of myself.

Axel grinned and nodded. "Good, you've already got it memorized! But yeah, other worlds are out there, and you'll see 'em sooner or later. So…what was I talking about?"

"The coats."

"Oh, yeah, the coats. Well, besides making Corridors of Darkness, they also make nifty disguises. When the hood's up like this…" He pulled up his hood, hiding his face completely from view (how did all that hair fit under there?). "…you can't tell what we look like, which is good, because we run a covert operation. If there're people around when you're out on a mission, you wear your hood the whole time so they don't see your face. The coat's also good insulation; it'll keep you nice and toasty during those missions in particularly nippy areas."

"M…missions?" I echoed. What were those?

"Stuff the Organization wants you to do," Axel explained. "You'll learn a little more about that starting tomorrow."

"So is that what the Organization does? Do missions?"

"Well, uh, yeah. I guess so."

"What for?"

"Huh?"

"Why does the Organization have to do missions?" I clarified.

He looked a little confused by this. "Well…so we can complete our goal."

"What's our goal?"

"Kingdom Hearts," he said simply.

"Kingdom…Hearts…?" I repeated. Hadn't Vexen mentioned that?

"Yup. It's what everyone here's working for."

"But what is it?" I asked.

Axel frowned in confusion. "Well, uh…I don't exactly know what it is or what it looks like or anything, but I _do _know that it's gonna complete us – make us whole."

"Make us whole? Aren't we whole now?"

He shook his head. "Nope. You see, you, me, and everyone else in the Organization are Nobodies – hey, don't look at me like that! It's not an insult or anything. It means that we don't have any hearts."

"No hearts?" I stared at him, lost. That didn't make any sense…"How are we alive if we don't have hearts?"

Axel shrugged. "Search me. But hey, technically, we don't exist, so I don't think we're actually _alive._"

I had no response to that. For one thing, I didn't quite get it, and for another, what I did get sounded really depressing.

"But basically, we're Nobodies, which means we don't have hearts, which means we can't actually feel anything. That's why you might've been feeling so empty. You don't have any emotions like you did before your heart left."

"I…I don't have emotions?" I echoed. But I wasn't feeling empty…I mean, I blew up at Saïx, didn't I? I was definitely angry then. And what did he mean, 'before my heart left'? When did it leave? Maybe in the dark place…

"Right. And neither does the rest of the Organization. They may act like they do, but don't be fooled – they're just pretending to have hearts."

"But Kingdom Hearts will give us hearts for real?"

"Yep, just as soon as we complete it. Xemnas – that's our boss, by the way. X-E-M-N-A-S, got it memorized? – he's the only one who knows the whole story about it, and there's a whole bunch o' stuff he hasn't told us just yet. But I don't recommend asking him about it – he can get pretty steamed real quick, so for the sake of your physical well-being, you should just wait till he decides to tell us, 'kay?"

"Okay," I replied. I still had a lot more questions about Kingdom Hearts, but maybe I'll find out later. All that's important now is that Kingdom Hearts will fix whatever's wrong with me. Maybe it could give me back my memory…? "Um…how many people are in the Organization?"

"You're our fourteenth member."

"Oh. Is that why I'm called Number XIV?"

Axel nodded. "Exactly. Course, now that there're more than thirteen members, we might have to get our name changed…uh, anyways, there are twelve other members besides you and me. Each of us has our own special powers and abilities, which we use in combat."

"Special powers?" I echoed. "What special powers? I don't have any powers…"

"You'll learn more about that tomorrow," Axel said, waving a hand dismissively. "And whaddaya talking about, you don't have any powers? You can use a Keyblade, can't 'cha?"

"The Keyblade?" I repeated, confused. "That's…special?"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ it's special, kid, what's the matter with you? Not everyone can go around summoning a giant misshapen key, y'know!"

"Really?" I whispered in wonder. I looked back out the window, out at the buildings that could be full of people…people who couldn't do something I could…I felt proud for a second, but it was just swallowed up by confusion again. "I never really thought it was that special…I've been able to do it for as long as I can remember, and I never really thought…" I didn't speak for a while. "Can you use a Keyblade, too, Axel?"

Axel shook his head. "Nah. The only people in the Organization you can wield the Keyblade are you and Roxas."

"Roxas?" I echoed, a little put out that I wasn't the only special one.

"Yeah, he's our newest member…well, not anymore, I guess, since _you're _the resident rookie…well, anyway, he just joined a couple days ago. He's the 'XIII' in Organization XIII, got it memorized?"

"XIII…" Why did that sound familiar? "…you know…I think Saïx mentioned Number XIII…"

Axel blinked. "You…already met Saïx?" Before I could answer, he started looking me up and down, looking confused. "Funny, you don't _look_ injured…"

I frowned. "I'm…not…" I clenched my fists, fighting my anger; this was reminding me of Saïx calling me defective. _I'm not defective. I'm not worthless. I'm not weak._

"Really?" Axel looked impressed. "Wow…most rookies get some sort of physical injury dealt to them by our exalted second-in-command…he must like you, then."

I winced. "I…don't think he likes me at all…"

Axel nodded. "_That_, I believe. No worries, kid, Saïx doesn't like anybody 'cept Xemnas. You're in good company." He clapped me on the back, and I jumped a bit in surprise.

I clasped my hands together, an incredible feeling of inferiority washing over me. I hated it; I couldn't stomach being anything less than the best. "He…said I was 'defective', whatever that means…and when I stood up to him, he got really mad…"

Axel whistled in amazement. "And you didn't get hurt?! Jeez, Louise, you're some piece o' work…but hey, don't go doing that anymore, 'kay? Rule Number One of the Organization: _never _piss off Saïx. I once knew a guy who told Saïx his hair made him look like a girl –" His face became mournful and he placed his hand over his heart. "– two days later, he went six feet under while his mama sobbed into a monogrammed hankie."

I gaped at him. "W-what…?!"

He cracked a smile. "Heh, heh, you should see the look on your face, kid! No worries, it was just a joke. Nothing like that ever happened…though if it did, I wouldn't be surprised in the least." He chuckled.

My memory was a little fuzzy, but I had the sense jokes were meant to be laughed at. "…that wasn't funny, Axel."

"Really? Cause I thought it was _hilarious_!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Axel sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Man, you're no fun. All right, so you've met our Lunar Diviner. Anyone else?"

"Um…well, I met Xemnas…"

Axel frowned sympathetically. "Ooh…"

"…oh, and Vexen, too."

Axel's eyes got so big that they looked like they would pop right out of his head. "UGGGH…!" Before I could ask him what the matter was, he suddenly threw his arms around me and pulled me in close. "Oh, you poor thing, no wonder you're such a downer! Exposed to three of the biggest wet blankets in the whole Organization! You must think we're all lunatics!"

"Well, now that you mention it…" I muttered into his chest.

I knew that I should push him away, but I…I didn't really _want _to. Axel was a much better hugger than Vexen was. He didn't hold me too tight, and he felt really warm and cozy…I wanted to get closer, but the instant I tried, Axel put his hands on my shoulder and shoved me away, a serious look on his face. "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do, Kri – I'm gonna take you out and show you a good time, Axel style! We can go to Twilight Town! We'll grab some ice cream, watch the sunset, maybe play a few rounds of Grandstander, bang up some Heartless…it'll be awesome! Whaddaya say, Kri?"

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond to all that, mostly because I didn't understand half the things he said. Twilight Town? Ice cream? Grandstander? Heartless? What the heck were those? I wanted to ask him what he meant, but I had so many questions I didn't know where to start. Not to mention the fact that Axel seemed too excited to pay attention to whatever I had to say. So I just asked one question, the first one that popped into my head: "…'Kri'?"

Axel grinned. "Yeah, it's a nickname! It shows affection. Friends give each other nicknames."

"We're…friends?" I asked, wondering when I had consented to this.

"Sure we are!" Axel replied happily, swinging his arm around my shoulders. "I like you, kid; you've got character. I could make you my protégé, teach you everything I know. We'll be best pals – you, me, and Roxas."

I cast my eyes to the floor, a little intimidated by this eccentric performance. All the same, what he said made me…happy. I couldn't remember if I'd had any friends before the dark place, but I did know that having a friend was the best thing that could happen to a person. Sure, Axel was a little out there, but he seemed nice enough. Okay. We'll be friends.

I opened my mouth to tell him this, but Axel wasn't paying attention; he was standing up and had stuck out his arm and opened up another one of those dark corridor thingies. "Come on, let's go!" He grabbed my hand, pulled me into a standing position, and headed towards the dark portal, me dragging behind.

"W-wait!" I stammered, putting up as much resistance as a fairly small girl could against a significantly taller older man. "I can't go! Vexen said that I wasn't allowed to leave the room!"

Axel made a "ppft!" noise. "Aw, Vexen, schmexen. What does that Bill Nye-wannabe know, anyway? He can't keep you locked up here forever, right? Besides, Vexen doesn't have any authority. He can't force us to –"

"Those orders were direct from _me_, Axel."

I jumped and twisted my head to see Saïx standing in the doorway, arms crossed and looking like the **Devil **himself. I shuddered and looked down to the floor.

Axel didn't seem nearly as concerned as I was. "Hey, Saïx. Sorry, can't talk right now. I'll go do my mission later, 'kay?" He started pulling me towards the portal again.

"And just where do you think you are going with Number XIV?" Saïx asked icily.

I flinched away from him, but Axel just shrugged. "Twilight Town. I'm gonna show Kri here how to have fun."

Saïx raised an eyebrow. "'Kri'?" He looked directly at me.

I gulped. "We're…friends, apparently."

Saïx looked at me for a long time, and then he sighed heavily. "You would do well, Krixu, not to associate yourself with this one. He is both dangerous and unpredictable, and would likely lead to your extermination."

Axel moaned and put a hand to his forehead like he was sick. "You're killing me, Saïx, you're killing me!"

Saïx shot him a dirty look. "Silence. I _personally _gave you a specific order to let Number XIV be until tomorrow, and here I find you dragging it off goodness knows where while it is still disoriented and liable to injure itself! Honestly, Axel, I expected better of you."

Axel grinned slyly. "Did you, Saïx? Did you _really_?"

There was a long silence in which the two men just stared at each other. Finally, Saïx sighed again, looking frustrated. "You are dismissed, Axel. You are forbidden to interact further with Krixu until tomorrow."

Axel pouted. "Aw, c'mon, can't I take her out? We'll be back in five minutes; no one will ever even know we're gone. I'll hold her hand and everything. Please?"

"_No_," Saïx said firmly. "You are _dismissed_, Axel."

"Well, can I at least bring her back an ice cream? Kid's had a big day, joining the Organization and all, and look, she's wasting away to nothing – she must be starving!"

Saïx turned a cold glance on me. "Is this true, Krixu?"

I blinked in confusion. "I-I don't really know what –" I was suddenly interrupted by a loud gurgling sound. I jumped in surprise and started to ask what it was, but I suddenly felt light-headed and had to sit back down. What was happening? What's this called? It's…**hunger**. I needed to **eat**. "Yeah, I guess I am," I whispered.

Axel pointed to me and gave Saïx a half-concerned, half-smug look. "There. See that? Poor thing's fading fast. If she doesn't get somethin' yummy in her tummy soon…" He leaned in close to Saïx so that his face was inches away from the second-in-command's pointed ear. "…we might end up being true to our namesake after all, got it memorized?"

"…"

"…"

Saïx pressed his index finger against Axel's forehead and pushed him away. "Five minutes, Axel."

He smirked. "Four more than I need. Be back in a jiff!" He leaped into the dark corridor, and I was suddenly left alone with Saïx.

I fiddled with one of the chains on my coat. "…is there something I can help you with, Saïx?"

Saïx nodded shortly. "The Superior has asked me to give you this." He held out his hand. For the first time, I noticed that he was holding a small, white book. The same symbol that was carved into the floor tiles and onto my headboard was printed in black on the cover.

I grinned in delight and took the book, thrilled that I had something new to read. I eagerly opened it…only to be met with clean white paper. My smile faded. "It's…blank. Where are the words?"

"You will write the words yourself," Saïx explained, sounding impatient. "Many members of the Organization keep a diary to record daily events. You are not required to keep one, and no one will check it if you do – unless, of course, you choose to show it – but as a new member, I highly recommend you write what learn in it for the first few days so that you do not forget."

Oh, now I get it. I write down what happens everyday so that when I get older, I can read it and remember everyone. Sounds interesting, at least. "Thank you, Saïx," I said through my light-headedness. I took a pen that had been lying on top of my chest of drawers and uncapped it. "I'll start right now!"

But I didn't get a chance to write anything, because at that point, a dark corridor appeared out of nowhere again. Out came Axel, grinning like a lunatic and carrying some light blue-green thing on a stick. "I'm baaaack!" he crowed. "And I brought somethin' tasty!"

Saïx raised an eyebrow. "You consider _that _to be adequate nourishment?"

"Hey, it'll fill her belly, won't it?" He held out the blue-green thing to me. "Here, Krixu, eat up!"

I gingerly took the stick out of his hand, staring at it warily. "W…what is it?"

"It's ice cream, silly!" Axel replied, laughing. "I know it'll take a while to remember everything from your old life, but you remember ice cream, don't you?"

Ice cream…something cold and sweet and tasty to have on hot summer days…I saw a brief flash of memory in which I was happily licking an ice cream cone with a couple other kids…"Oh, yeah, I love ice cream!" I said eagerly. "Thanks, Axel!" I took a small bite, concerned about **brain freeze**. I let the small blue lump sit on my tongue for a bit before swallowing. "Mmm…it tastes sweet, but kinda salty, too…"

"Well, it should," Axel told me. "It's called sea-salt ice cream. What do you think? Good, right?"

"Sea-salt ice cream…" I parroted, taking another small bite. "It's…a little weird, but not exactly bad…" I smiled. "Yeah, I guess I like it."

Axel beamed. "Great! It's one of my favorites! I got some for Roxas his first day, too, and – whoa."

I looked up from my treat to see Axel staring at me, expression curious. "…what?"

He shook himself slightly. "Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. I just realized, your eyes are the exact same color as that ice cream."

"My eyes?"

"Yeah. It's a nice color."

"Thanks…" I put a hand to my head, suddenly feeling unwell. _Blue-green color. Gentle sloshing. Salty taste…_

I gasped. "Hey!"

Axel jumped, and Saïx looked at me sharply. "What? What is it? Brain freeze?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I…I think…I just remembered something…before everything was dark, I…"

"You mean before you lost your heart?" Axel asked, looking inquisitive. "What is it?" Saïx looked on in interest.

"I…" I struggled to hold onto the fading picture in my head. "I lived…near water. Lots of water. And it was cool and clear, and it smelled salty like the ice cream…I…" What was it? What was the word? "It…it was the…_ocean_!" I grinned in triumph. I remembered now! "I lived by the ocean…o-on an island!"

"An island, huh?" Axel said softly. "Burning sun, hot sands, cold surf, bikinis…" He whistled again. "You're one lucky girl, Krixu. But to go from a place like that to a place like this… life's a bitch, huh?"

"I guess…" I murmured. I was still trying to hang on to the picture of my home. It was a small island, really, but it wasn't too bad. Most of it was sand, but there were all these trees and plants growing in the middle of it grew the most _amazing _fruit. One of the trees had fallen over, but no one bothered to get rid of it; I remembered I liked to sit on the trunk and watch the sunset. And then there was this cave…

"You have one minute, Axel," I heard Saïx say. "I suggest you start talking."

"Seriously? Okay, uh…" He thought for a moment. "Never play Luxord in a game of strip poker. Don't let Vexen take you to his lab for a 'short check-up' – it's not a check-up, and it's never short. Always remember Rule Number One! Stay away from Marluxia and Larxene, and don't bother Zexion while he's reading. Don't go into the kitchen after lunch; that's when Xigbar likes to hide in the rafters and shoot people. When Demyx asks if you want to hear a new song he's been writing say _no_. Don't expect Roxas to say _anything_ to you – kid's a zombie, I swear –"

"Ten seconds, Axel."

"– and above all, be good." He smirked knowingly. "Or, if you can't be good, be good at it. Got it memorized?"

I blinked. "I…I don't get it. What do you mean –?"

"_Axel_!" Saïx snapped, a flush coloring his cheeks.

"Sorry, kid, gotta run!" He grinned and held up two fingers (the **peace sign**…?) "Good night, welcome to the team, and I'll see you tomorrow!" Saïx reached out to grab him, but he was already out the door. I giggled slightly, and Saïx glowered at me before heading out the door himself.

"Good night, Saïx," I called out.

_SLAM_.

I giggled a bit and finished up the last of my ice cream. When I was done, I put the clean stick on my nightstand, picked up my pen, opened my diary, and began to write. It was slow going, and I made a lot of mistakes, but I finally came up with:

_Entry 1_

_My name is Krixu. I used to be called No. ii, Saïx calls me Number XIV, and Axel calls me Kri. Today, I joined Organization XIII. They gave me a coat and told me I'd be doing missions for them. They seemed really impressed by my Keyblade. Axel said that there was only one other person in the Organization that can wield the Keyblade. Is it really that special?_

_I met four new people today. Vexen is the one who looked after me and asked me to do things to see if I was healthy. He said that I was a success, and that he and I would do great things. I don't know if I like him or not._

_Then, I met Xemnas and Saïx. Xemnas is the leader of Organization XIII. He seemed friendly, and I think he likes me, but I'm a little scared of him. He told me that my anger would make me stronger than him. What does he mean? I don't think Saïx likes me. He called me defective, and when I said I wasn't, he got really mad. He's the second-in-command, so I have to be nice to him._

_Finally, I met Axel. He's not at all like the others. He acts a little crazy, and sometimes he says things that I don't understand, but I like him. He taught me a lot about the Organization, and said that we were friends. He gave me a Popsicle, too. It's called "sea-salt ice cream", and it helped me remember that I lived on an island by the ocean._

_But there are still some things I don't get. Why can't I remember anything before the darkness? Why does the Organization need me? Why can only two of us wield the Keyblade? What is "Kingdom Hearts"? Have I lost my heart like Axel said? I don't understand it much, but maybe I'll get the answers if I stay with the Organization._

Once I was finished, I put my diary and the pen on my nightstand, moving the Popsicle stick so that it rested on top of the book. I felt light-headed again, so I lay down on the bed and started thinking about everything I couldn't understand until I felt darkness creep up on me again. The last thing I saw was the Popsicle stick.

And that's how my life began.

* * *

**Okay! So, like I said, I don't know when the next update will be. I've got a month of business ahead of me and only five pages of the next chapter done, but I'll do my best to get it written!**


	2. Day 5: Organization XIII

About time, huh? Yup, I decided to leave all the other things I was planning for Day 6. Please enjoy!

Kingdom Hearts ©Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix, and the Walt Disney Company. All other original characters and plot elements owned by Genesis-VIII. This rewrite is for private and entertainment use only, and no profits are being made. Please support the official release.

* * *

_The sun shone down brightly upon the beach, warming the air and glittering off the reflection of the water. A slight breeze blew in the tops of the palm trees, but it wasn't enough to break the stifling heat. I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked up at my half-finished creation, pride welling up in my chest. A fairly large boat – well, more of a raft, really – was beached just at the water's edge, made only out of the materials I could find lying around on the island. I was nearly finished building the deck, and had spent the last hour trying to put up the mast. I'd finally managed to get it into place, but it wasn't nearly sturdy enough; one gust of the ocean winds and it'd be done for. Heaven forbid a storm pop up or we'd be drowned in thirty seconds…_if_ we were lucky. And then there was completing the base and adding a sail and maybe creating a steering mechanism and countless other tasks to get the raft shipshape…in short, too much work for one person._

"_Where are they?" I growled, glaring off towards the eastern part of the island. The beach house, jetties, and small cliffs blocked my view, but I could just picture my three friends lazing about on the beach while I worked alone on _our _raft. "Honestly, if you're not gonna do any work, then don't beg to come with me!" I sighed heavily, remembering how they'd pleaded and cried when I told them I was leaving, insisting that if I wouldn't stay on the island with them, it was only fair for them to come with me. "We're all best friends, and we're not going to leave each other no matter what!" they'd announced loudly, pulling me into one of their group hugs. I sighed again, trying to be mad at them. Honestly, they were my best – no, my _only _friends, and I cared about them more than anything in the world. I just wish they'd apply themselves a bit more. I mean, we're not talking about some stupid game little kids play, or even a group project for fun…this is IT. The big one. This is what I've been working on all my life: we were getting off the island and exploring the other worlds. _

…_if they exist._

_No! They _do _exist! Or else how could Grandpa and Kairi…well, whatever. They're out there, and we'll find them. _

_But then again, we're never going to get anywhere if only one-fourth of our little dream team made the effort. I rubbed the back of my sweating neck and stared out over the ocean. It was so hot…it would be nice to swim for a little while. Maybe I could go find my friends, or maybe I'd just lie on the sand and sleep…_

_No. No way. They might be content wasting their lives lying on some beach in the middle of nowhere, but I'm not. I have to keep going. There's no time to rest. I have to…wake up…wake…_

"Wake up! Krixu, this is no time to sleep! You're going to be late! WAKE UP!"

A high-pitched voice chased away the image of the beach and the raft, and I found myself in the darkness again. It wasn't like before, though; it wasn't nearly as dark, and it felt nice and soft and warm…I don't wanna go…

"_No. ii, as your creator, I ORDER you to wake up right this second! NOW!!_"

My eyes snapped open and I shot up to a sitting position, gasping in surprise. "Huh?! Wha – V-Vexen?"

Everything seemed blurry for a moment, but then my vision cleared and I saw Vexen standing over me, looking very impatient and a little worried (probably not for me, I'm guessing, even though I'm definitely concerned about what happened). "Yes, yes, girl, it's me," he snapped. "Now get up; we're going to be late!"

I put my hand up to my pounding head, dizzy and confused. Where was I?! Hadn't I just been on the beach? And what about the dark place? My Keyblade? What…what…? Oh…oh, right. That group brought me out of the dark place…Organization XIII. They made me a member. Memories of the previous day slowly returned as I looked around the room – _my_ room. But what…what had happened just now? Everything had gone so dark, and then I went to that beach…hadn't I just been lying on my bed, wondering about the Organization? How did I get to the beach? And how did I get back? How long ago had that been? I looked out the window, but there was no change from before, nothing that seemed like…t…**time** had passed.

"V-Vexen," I stammered, squinting in the bright light. "W-what happened to me?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Vexen asked, sounding **distracted**. "Hmm, vocabulary and sentence structure is ever increasing…adequate penmanship, but an improvement, to be sure…" I blinked a couple of times to get rid of the light in my eyes and spotted him standing beside my nightstand, reading my diary. I think most people would be angry about it, but I wasn't – it was only Vexen, and he was just looking out for my best interests (I think). If anything, I was a little miffed at Saïx for **lying **and saying no one would read what I wrote.

I thought back to before the beach. "I…I was lying on bed, and I was just…just thinking about things, and then everything was all dark again, and I felt…I felt like I wasn't all here…"

Vexen sighed heavily. "You were sleeping, Krixu. Sleep is a rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness, typically occurring during night hours, you silly girl – _everyone_ knows that."

"…huh?" I blurted out, frowning. I didn't know what most of those words meant, and even if I did, I don't think they'd be of much help. My head was starting to hurt worse…

Vexen sighed impatiently, flipping a page in the diary. "It's perfectly normal, Krixu; happens to all of us. You shouldn't be worried about it, my dear. In fact, this is a good thing – it means you're functioning normally, as expected." He reached over and gave me a little pat on the head (too hard…ouch).

"Oh," I replied simply. I was starting to remember what **sleep** was, anyway – when your body shut down every night in order to get some rest. Sleep was good. But then…"But while I was…sleeping…I saw these pictures in my head. There was the beach, and a raft, and –"

Vexen waved a hand dismissively. "Dreams, my dear. Again, perfectly natural. I'd be surprised if – eeaugh!" He had looked up from the diary and made a strange, **choking** kind of sound. "Krixu, your hair is an absolute _train wreck_! You can't meet the others looking like that!"

I blinked quizzically and looked over towards the mirror on the back wall. Aw, my hair wasn't so bad. It was a little mussed from sleeping, and my ponytail was getting a bit loose, but it's not as bad as all that. Not that much different than yesterday. "I think my hair looks okay," I told him, shrugging my shoulders.

Vexen shook his head and made an exasperated little noise. "Apparently, I forgot to include care for personal appearance in your programming…wait there." He headed for the bathroom, muttering darkly. I heard him rummaging around, but I couldn't see him.

Deciding to let Vexen do whatever it was he was doing in peace (even if I wanted to stop him, how could I?), I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and stretched my arms up over my head, loosening up my stiff muscles. I wonder what's going to happen today. Vexen said something about "meeting the others"…what others? Other members of Organization XIII?

Vexen suddenly came back into the room, holding this small white thing that was thin at the bottom, round up top, and had a bunch of weird hair-like things sticking out of it…I think it's called a **hairbrush**. I couldn't see too well, but I was pretty sure it had that same three-pointed gray symbol on it that was on the headboard, tiles, and my diary. Just what is it? I wanted to ask Vexen, but he looked a little **stressed**, so I decided to wait till he felt better.

"Here we go," he was saying. "Now, Krixu, this is what we call a hairbrush. People use it to fix their hair when it looks like a complete rat's nest."

"Yeah, I remember," I told him, stealing a glance in the mirror again. Did it really look that bad?

"Excellent. The memories of your other life are returning at a steady rate, very good. Very good _indeed_. Now, do you remember how to use it?"

I froze. "Uhhh…"

Vexen sighed again. "I thought not. I'll help you today, but starting tomorrow, I'll expect you to get ready for the day on your own. Come over and stand by the mirror." Without waiting for me to move, he grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of the mirror. Then, he stood behind me and untied the black ribbon, causing my hair to fall down into my eyes again. I brushed it away impatiently.

"Hold still," Vexen ordered, "and watch carefully…" He pulled all the hair out of my face and let it fall down my back, smoothing it out a bit with his fingers. He then proceeded to yank the brush through my hair…_painfully_.

"Ow!" I yelped, struggling to get away. "Vexen, that…that hurts!"

"I told you to hold still!" Vexen snapped. "I cannot help how atrociously tangled your hair is!"

"It's not – ouch – that – OW – bad!"

"It most certainly is! Honestly, you're such a restless sleeper, it's a wonder it's not any worse!"

"OUCH! Look, Vexen, just let me…" I reached behind me and snatched the brush out of his hands. Ignoring his screeches of protest, I swung my hair over my left shoulder, tilted my head for more room, and began slowly running the brush through my hair. It was slow going at first – it took a little bit for the memories to come back, and my hands were a little **clumsy** (a good word, especially since I was still having some trouble moving around) – but finally, my hair was perfectly smooth and straight. I tucked the brush into my coat pocket and plucked the ribbon out of a surprised-looking Vexen's hands. I thought for a moment, struggling to remember what to do, and then gathered my hair at the top of my head and tied it off tightly, finishing it off with a bow. I smiled approvingly at my reflection, nodding shortly. Perfect. I looked over my shoulder at Vexen, feeling smug. "See? I could do it myself, Vexen."

Vexen blinked a couple times, and then nodded. "Most impressive. It seems your feminine persona has emerged despite heavy opposition from your old lifestyle…quite a difficult stage of the construction, yes…well done, Vexen, you genius…" I rolled my eyes. I didn't quite get what he was saying, but I don't think he should be congratulating himself for something I did. "Now, Krixu, are you ready to meet the rest of Organization XIII?"

Ah, I _thought _that's what we were doing. I guess there was no way around it – if I was going to be a part of this Organization thing, I'd meet my co-workers eventually. Still, the thought made me nervous. My talk with Axel yesterday had got me more comfortable around other people, but I still can't speak too well yet. And if Xemnas, Saïx, and Vexen were any indication of what Organization XIII was like, I'm not so sure I'd like these other members. Oh, well, maybe I'm get worried over nothing. Axel would probably be there, so it should be fine.

I nodded, keeping my eyes to the ground. "Yes, Vexen. I'm ready."

"Good," I heard Vexen say. "Now, there's no need for that kind of look on your face. I designed you with full knowledge of social interactions, so all you must do is know when to use it. I'm sure the rest of the Organization will be just as impressed with your machinations as I am."

I looked up, not understanding. "Designed? Machinations?" What did that mean?

Vexen stared at me for a moment, eyes wide, and then he quickly shook his head back and forth. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't you worry about that, my dear. Just a figure of speech; slip of the tongue as it were. Ahem…now, if you're still concerned about the other members, I can assure you that our Organization is one of…eh…" He thought for a moment. "…_character_. No matter how infantile and utterly incompetent some of our comrades are, there will be at least _one _you are compatible with. Zexion, for example, is an upstanding, intelligent young man. The two of you will get along famously, I'm sure. Luxord could certainly provide some…_stimulating _conversation, and Xaldin is not too eccentric either. You should try making friends with them. Or, if you'd rather not, you'll always have me."

"Um…okay…" I said softly. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "…what about the rest of them?"

Vexen's eye twitched. "It is my professional opinion that you stay as far away from them as possible. Such nonsensical nonsense will not be good for your development. In particular, I recommend avoiding Marluxia." His face twisted up in disgust. "He is an uppity, disrespectful neophyte who cares not for the hallowed traditions of our fine Organization, and he will bring you nothing but grief, mark my words."

I nodded slowly. I wasn't sure what all that meant, but I think I got the gist of it. "Okay, Vexen. I'll stay away from him." Hadn't Axel said something like that, too? I better make the effort to avoid him, then. Speaking of which…"Um…what do you think of Axel?"

Vexen's brow furrowed, and he frowned at me suspiciously. "And how did you know one of our members is named Axel?"

I shrank back. I felt kind of ashamed, but I'm not sure if I was supposed to…no, I wasn't. Axel was my friend, and you shouldn't be ashamed of your friends. I stood up a little straighter. "I met him last night. He came into my room and started talking to me. He seemed pretty nice."

"He WHAT?!" Vexen squawked. He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and got in real close, looking at me all over. "Why, that uncouth, simple-minded nymphomaniac! How _dare _he ravage my delicate creation! That uncivilized, disgraceful, outrageous _perv_ – GAAH!" He let go of me and clutched his head, moaning. Something fell to the floor and rolled over by my feet. It was small and narrow with jagged edges, dark red all over except for a small yellow-white patch and a brown **twig** sticking out of the top. It looked familiar…I think it was some kind of food…oh, right, it's an **apple**! I remember those – they were good for you, and they tasted juicy and sweet. I thought about picking it up and eating it – I was getting hungry again, but I remembered that you shouldn't eat food off the floor because it might have **germs**. How did it get here, though?

"Yo, Vexen, don't take my name in vain."

Vexen and I turned to see Axel leaning against my door, grinning lazily. "Hi, Axel," I said, smiling.

"Mornin', Kri. How you doin' today? Ready for your first day?"

"Uh…yeah, I think so," I answered quietly, suddenly feeling nervous again. My first real day in Organization XIII…what if they didn't like me? What if they thought I wasn't good enough? Would they kick me out? Where could I go?

…maybe to that island?

Axel nodded. "That's good. Hey, you look kinda shook up there, kiddo – everything cool? No, wait, let me guess!" He shouted before I could answer, making me gasp a bit in surprise. He strode into my room and hit Vexen on the back, causing him to let out a high-pitched noise. "You're freaked out because this thing barged into your room early in the morning when it obviously had no right to be here, am I right?"

I blinked. "Uh, n-no, that's not –"

"Excuse me?!" Vexen squawked, looking mad. "What exactly do you mean by 'thing'?! I am the Organization's chief scientist and easily the most intelligent and logical of all of us, not a baseball at the back of the closet! And why, pray tell, are _you_ in my creation's domicile? You have even less right to be in here than I do!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to say good day and good luck to our lovely new member. Ooh, my apple." He bent down, picked up the apple, and lifted it to his mouth.

"Axel, don't eat that!" I told him.

He paused, mouth open – he was probably just about to take a bite. "Why not? It's okay, it's good for you – it's got a bunch of Vitamin Whatchamacallit in it or something."

"But it's got germs. It was on the floor!"

Axel made a 'pfft' sound. "Oh, is that all? Jeez, Kri, I'm not gonna let a couple –" He stopped, took a long look at the apple, and made a face. "…you know what? On second thought, I'm not gonna eat this nasty thing after all." He tossed it into a **trash can **in the corner.

Vexen smirked. "Finally becoming conscious of contamination, are we?"

"You could say that. The floor-germs don't bug me too much – it's more that it touched the back of your slimy head."

Vexen scowled at him. "Ooh, you have some nerve, you pyro-kinetic ignoramus! Not only do you defile my Krixu, not only do you return to the scene of the aforementioned heinous crime, but you have the GALL to add insult to injury?! I ought to report you for this! I'll have your lecherous hindquarters out of here by lunchtime!"

Axel frowned, looking confused. "Whoa, whoa, back it up there, Einstein. What the heck are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you took advantage of her naiveté and engaged in intercourse with her!"

"Engaged in…" Axel's eyes suddenly widened, and his mouth dropped open. "Whoa, time out! You think I _did_ her?!"

"I don't think so, I _KNOW_ so! Why else would you go to her room?!"

"Oh, gee, maybe to introduce myself and wish her luck in the Organization! Jesus, Vexen, I may be a heartless self-centered jerk, but I wouldn't sleep with a rookie right after she crossed over!"

"Ha! A _likely_ story!"

"It's the truth!"

"You're not a jerk, Axel," I interrupted quietly. I had absolutely no clue what they were going on about, but Axel had seemed nice yesterday. And if he was my friend now, I didn't want Vexen hurting him.

Axel grinned and shot me the **thumb's-up sign**. "Aw, thanks, Kri! You're a real sweetheart…cute, too…" He smirked again. "You know, Vexen, upon further reflection and under the right circumstances –" He put his arm around my shoulders, still smirking (I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, but I let him keep his arm there). "– I'd be _more_ than willing to – OW!"

I let out a gasp and took a step back. While Axel had been talking, a flurry of white powder had spun around Vexen's arm and this huge blue spiky thing – I think it was some kind of…of…**shield**, or something – appeared in his hand, right out of nowhere! Grunting a little, Vexen swung his arm around and whacked Axel in the back of the head with his shield. "Shut your mouth, you promiscuous runaround! Don't you _dare _speak about my Krixu in that slovenly manner!"

"I didn't say anything!" Axel protested, rubbing the back of his head; he didn't seem badly hurt, thankfully. "Jesus, I was just kidding…can't you take a joke? Ow…"

"Silence. You've said quite enough already." There was more of that white powder, and then the shield disappeared.

I stared in awe as the last of the powder faded away. "V-Vexen," I stammered, "what was that just now?"

"Hmm? Oh, that was my shield – Frozen Pride, as I call it. Catchy, isn't it? I use it as a weapon. Unlike you and Number XIII, the rest of the Organization cannot wield the Keyblade, but we still must be prepared for sudden combat." He smiled down at me sweetly – kind of creepy, in my opinion. "At any rate, my dear, you need not defend this cretin, especially after he hurt you so. You don't need to be frightened; I'll make sure you aren't harmed by him anymore."

I frowned. Harmed? "He didn't…hurt me…" I replied weakly, completely lost.

Vexen blinked a couple times in surprise. "He didn't?"

"You tell 'em, Kri!" Axel encouraged, still rubbing his head. "Let the truth be heard! I didn't do anything to hurt you, did I?"

"I don't…think so…" I answered. _Had _be done something? I couldn't really remember too well. I was still kind of sleepy…well, I wasn't hurt, even if I was supposed to be.

"I didn't touch you, right?"

"Um…well, you hit me on the back that one time, and it kinda hurt…"

Vexen's eye twitched dangerously. "_Axel_…!"

Axel flinched. "Hey, hey, it was only a friendly pat-on-the-back between friends, right? Nothing to get excited about, Vexy." He grinned cheerfully. "I'm saying, Kri, did I touch you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Did I touch you in a place you didn't want me to touch?"

"Uh…no…"

"Krixu," Vexen interrupted. "As I said before, you don't need to lie to protect him, and it's obvious that his vague and ambiguous questions are confusing you. I'm going to ask a question of my own, and I want you to answer as honestly as you can. Do you understand?"

"I…yeah, I understand," I answered. What was he getting at?

"Ambiguous?" Axel echoed. He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Vexen, those questions were as clear as day. Just because they weren't overflowing with complicated science-y words –"

"I told you to be silent!" Vexen snarled, rounding on him. "How dare you disobey a direct order from your superior!" Axel shrugged, still grinning.

I frowned. "Wait, I thought Xemnas was the –"

"Yes, Xemnas is our leader and the highest-ranking out of all of us," Vexen said to me, smiling widely once again (I wonder if this guy is **bipolar**…?). "But every single one of us has our own number, assigned to us according to our ranks and the order in which we joined the organization. You are our most recent member, so your number is XIV. I was the fourth member to join; therefore, I am number IV. Even though four is a smaller number than fourteen, it is considered to be a higher rank. Our Superior is number I, so he has the most authority among us."

"Oh, okay." I looked over at Axel. "What number are you, Axel?"

"VIII. But don't let this guy fool you – he likes to think the numbers correspond to rank, but they really don't mean squat. It only means I was the eighth member to join, and you were the fourteenth – nothing more or less. I mean hey, look at Saïx – he's our second-in-command, but he's only number VII."

"You shut your mouth!" Vexen roared. "This is an interrogation! Don't confuse her with meaningless lies!"

Lies? Then who was telling the truth? I think it's Axel, but…"Uh…Vexen…?"

Vexen ignored what I'd said. "Now, my dear, please answer my question quickly and truthfully: did Axel rape you?" A vein twitched above his right eye, and his smile turned into a glare.

I frowned. "What's…rape?"

"It's when someone has sex with you when you don't want them to," Axel piped up. For some reason, he was smiling.

"Uhhh…" Sex? It's sounds a little familiar, but…I don't know what that is.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Axel suddenly burst out laughing. "Are you…are you s-serious, kid? You really don't know?"

I shook my head, feeling a little embarrassed. Not knowing something the others knew made me feel weak. Why aren't there any words? Why doesn't someone tell me?

Axel laughed even harder. "Oh, my God, that is _rich_! Christ, Vexy, you teach her to read and write, but you don't tell her the important stuff? What kind of father are you?"

Vexen's face turned red. "I prefer the term 'creator', thank you very much. And at any rate, I had assumed that sort of…erm…_information_ would be irrelevant to her at present."

Axel snorted. "You kiddin'? Trust me, Vexen, that 'information' is _always_ relevant, considering that she's going to be in close contact with Xigbar and Marluxia for the foreseeable future." Vexen made a choking noise at the back of his throat. Axel put a hand on my shoulder and grinned in a friendly way. "No worries, Kri, you've got your good buddy Axel here lookin' out for you! I'll make sure you're all set for the real world, 'kay? Now, when a guy and girl – or two guys or two girls, or sometimes more than two, but that's another story – love each other very much, they get into bed together, and the guy takes his – OUCH! Jeez, Vexen, will you quit doin' that already?!" While he had been talking, Vexen had hit him on the head with his shield again.

"I told you, she doesn't need to hear it!" Vexen squawked angrily. "Her ears are too delicate and fragile for such vulgar outbursts! As long as I'm protecting her, she'll never have to deal with this depravity, so why even bother?!"

"Never have to deal with it? Please, Vexen, do you honestly think you can protect her forever? Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for my little buddy staying pure as the driven snow, but I doubt our colleagues will share such chaste principles. You're a smart guy, right?"

"Certainly. I am the Superior's most trusted scientific researcher, and out of all the Organization, only I may handle such confounding and mentally-straining –"

"Right. So I'm _sure _you'd see my point here, being the genius you claim to be. Think about it – as of now, there are twelve men in this Organization. These twelve men have been living together for an extended period of time – in some cases, _ten years_. In that time, certain urges arise, wouldn't you agree?" Vexen muttered something unintelligible. "Exactly. Now, except for some, shall we say, _special cases_, the vast majority of us are straight. Throughout the course of a day, we're either cooped up in this castle or out on some mission, which leaves us little time to pick up chicks. And the only outlet close to home would be _Larxene_." There was a beat of silence, and both men shuddered. "So it stands that none of us are able to relieve our mounting sexual tension. Now along comes Kri – sweet, innocent, pretty, doesn't-know-to-say-no Kri. What do you think is the first thing these tortured men are going to think about – how many Heartless she can beat in a mission? Hell, no. They'll be all over her like flies on horsemeat. Personally, I give her five minutes."

I still had no idea what was going on, and I was sick of being talked about like I wasn't there. "Uh, guys…?"

"Oh, and I suppose you'll be the abstinent one and hang back, won't you, Axel?"

"Guys…"

"Hey, I meant what I said: I've got my own urges, but I wouldn't take them out on a sweet kid like her…unless she wanted to, of course. In which case, I'd be happy to –"

"HEY!!!"

Axel and Vexen looked over at me, surprised. It was like they'd forgotten I was there. The thought made me mad, and I glared at them and balled my hands into fists. "What the heck are you two talking about anyway?!" I yelled. "If you're so concerned, why are you leaving me out? How am I supposed to protect myself if I don't even know what I'm fighting against?!"

Axel smiled ruefully and pet my head – it felt kind of nice, but I was too mad to care. "Listen, kiddo, this is grown-up talk. Sorry we're leaving you out, but I think you're going to need a bit more experience before we tell you." Vexen made a furious noise, but Axel ignored him. "It's not exactly an appropriate subject for someone who's got a hell of a lot to memorize in a short time. I'll tell you when you're ready, okay?"

"…okay," I replied grudgingly. I was still kind of mad, but I guess Axel knows best. I suppose I can wait.

Axel grinned widely again. "Atta girl! Now, why don't you go finish getting ready, while I speak to Vexen on how short Xemnas' temper is when it comes to punctuality?"

Vexen blinked. "Eh? Just what are you talking about, Axel?"

"I'm talking about why I came here in the first place and why I've put up with you screaming at me for fifteen minutes. Everyone else is waiting in the Round Room to welcome Kri to the Organization, but you all are way late. My guess is that you have ten seconds before Saïx comes after you with a machete and an egg beater."

Vexen's eyes got so big they looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "O-Oh my goodness, we're late! Why in the world didn't you tell me?! Oh, Xemnas will have our heads for sure!" He stuck out his hand and opened up another one of those dark portals. Once the swirling mass of blackness had appeared, he lashed out and grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the portal. "Hurry, Krixu, we can't keep them waiting any longer, or we'll be thrown amongst the bio-hazardous waste for sure!"

"Wha – Vexen, wait!" I choked out, struggling to get out of his vice-grip. "A-Axel!" I looked behind me desperately for help, but Axel just smiled, gave me the thumbs-up sign, and disappeared through a dark portal of his own. By the time I turned back around, Vexen had already pulled me through the portal.

This time around the darkness was different – it wasn't as suffocating and consuming as that first dark place, but it wasn't warm and soft like sleep, either. It was a lot better than my first time through the portal; it felt like there was a thick shield protecting me from the cold and emptiness. I remembered what Axel said about my coat, and I resolved to never take it off.

I wasn't all that scared anymore, only curious. What kind of place would this corridor take us? What were the other members like? What would they have me do? How much longer until we got there?

Almost as soon as I thought this, there was a blinding white light and I suddenly found my feet on the ground once more. I was standing beside Vexen in a long hallway with a white walls and a very high ceiling, right in front of an enormous pair of doors with a bunch of weird carvings on them, mostly that same symbol I kept seeing everywhere. I gasped and took a step back – what sort of monsters needed doors this big? Were the other members actually giants?

Vexen let out a deep sigh and finally let go of my throbbing arm. "Phew, at last – better late than never, I always say – at least, when not pertaining to chemical reactions. I certainly hope the Superior shares my wise views…Axel has most likely informed him of our presence…" He shuddered. "Oh, so many miscalculations, no trial phases…I _despise _these types of experiments…now, Krixu, listen to me very carefully. When the Superior calls you in, walk through the doors and stand in the center of the room. Greet the members politely, but do not speak unless spoken to. Do not leave until you are told to do so. Stay perfectly still, unless otherwise specified. And above all, don't do _anything _to make yourself appear foolish. Remember, you are my creation, which means that every single action reflects upon – Krixu, are you even listening to me?"

"S-sorry, Vexen," I managed to say, feeling a bit nauseous. "I just…I-I think I realized what you and Axel were talking about before…"

Vexen blinked and stared at me for a second. "Oh…ah…and how are you feeling concerning the, eh…subject?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick," I moaned, swallowing thickly. **Sex**…an expression of love and how people make babies. It was _disgusting_. How could people ever do something like that willingly? I renewed my vow to keep my coat on at all times.

"Ah," Vexen replied a bit nervously – I guess he had just as much experience with that kind of thing as I did. "Well…don't let it bother you too greatly, my dear. It is a natural part of the human bio cycle, but even so, I shall do all in my power to make sure that that never happens to you without your express con –"

"_Yo, Frostbite! Get your ass in here already!_"

Vexen's face got all red and he screamed at the door, "Oh, _do _shut your scarred and idiotic mouth, Xigbar – patience is a virtue, after all!" He turned to me. "Now, Krixu, just stay calm and be yourself – within reason, of course. I'm positive that your flawless design will be enough to win our fellow colleagues over. If not, well, it is their own shortsightedness and complete fatuity, not any fault of your own. Best of luck, my creation." And with that, he swallowed up by another dark corridor and was gone.

I stood by myself outside the door for a few moments, trying to calm myself down. I just couldn't get Axel and Vexen's argument out of my mind. Did Axel really want to do those things to me? He couldn't really…he was my friend, wasn't he? He couldn't possibly want to hurt me like that. Still…it seemed like people would do things like that for fun or because they loved each other. So Axel could still want to do that and not want to hurt someone, I guess. I don't know. I don't really get love. There was no word in my head for it, and I only had a faint idea of what it was (and even that wasn't much), but I think it has to do with someone's heart. Axel said that Nobodies like him and me didn't have hearts, but I don't know…I don't really know what a heart is, so how could I know that I lost it? I wasn't understanding this at all. Oh, well. Maybe Xemnas or someone else would explain it better.

All of a sudden, I heard a voice carry out to where I was standing; I didn't see anyone coming down the hall, so I assumed it was on the other side of the doors, but the words were as clear as if they were being spoken presently. "Good tidings, friends and allies. Today is truly a day to remember." The voice was very deep and toneless, but I could sense a little excitement behind it – I recognized it to be Xemnas'. "A mere five days have passed since we have inducted Roxas, first among us to wield the Keyblade, as our thirteenth member. And now, on this most glorious of days, I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to join our number. Vexen's many months of labor have been rewarded greatly – our newest member is all we hoped she would be."

The doors slowly creaked open, letting out another blinding white light. I gave a little start and turned away, raising my arm to cover my eyes. "Step forward, Number XIV," Xemnas announced. I hesitated, but slowly lowered my arm and walked through the doors.

For a minute, all I saw was that bright light, but my vision cleared up after a second and I was able to look around the room. I guess it wasn't that there was a light coming from the room – everything was just a blank, cold, blinding _white_. Everything – the floors, the walls, the furniture, the ceiling – was white. Well, I _assumed_ the ceiling was white – it was too high up for me to see. This was the tallest room I'd seen so far; I bet it stretched all the way up to the clouds! And as for the furniture, thirteen enormous chairs reaching up to the invisible ceiling were placed in a broad circle, facing a raised platform (this, too, had that bizarre symbol on it – I had to remember to ask Axel about it later). The chairs were all different sizes; I could only see the tops of two or three of them.

Each of the chairs was occupied by a person wearing a black coat; they had to be the other thirteen members. Except for their clothes, they all looked different. Everyone's hair was in different colors and styles; one had an eye patch; some had scars; they all looked to be different ages; some had different skin colors; and I think I even spotted another girl. Some were smiling, some looked angry, but all were looking at me expectantly. I suddenly felt scared again and struggled to keep walking, looking around frantically for familiar faces. Xemnas was, of course, in the highest chair, right across from the doors. He was smiling at me, but like before, that smile didn't seem to hold any sort of happiness, and was more scary than comforting. Saïx was sitting three chairs from Xemnas' left; he was looking angry, probably because I was late. Vexen was seated two seats over on Xemnas' other side, in the second lowest of the chairs – the look on his face made me think he was afraid I would mess something up. Axel's chair was two seats from Vexen's right – when I managed to catch his eye, he grinned encouragingly and gave me the thumb's-up sign again. He was the only one who made me feel better about the situation. No matter what happened, at least I'd have one friend here.

I crossed the room and stepped up onto the platform, right in the center of that weird symbol, so that I was in everyone's line of sight. I heard the doors slam shut, and in that instant, I felt more scared here than I'd ever been before, even in the dark place. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream for help, but I couldn't move at all. I could only stand frozen in that circle, stare up at Xemnas, and wait for him to decide my fate.

If they didn't like me, what would they do? Would they turn me out?

_If you disobey us or prove useless, you will be exterminated._

Xemnas met my **terrified **gaze **stoically**, but then he smiled again and nodded towards me. "Number XIV, Krixu, chosen wielder of the Keyblade…it brings me great pleasure to accept you into our fold. May your time with us be long and prosperous." He looked around at the other people on the chairs and raised his arms slightly. "Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade's chosen." Except for Saïx, who pointedly looked away, everyone else smiled or nodded or both, or else murmured some kind of welcome; Axel and the man with the eye patch broke into loud, excited **applause**.

A wave of relief swept over me. They weren't going to get rid of me after all! I bent my back low in a **bow**. "Thank you so much, Superior. I'll try my best." Xemnas smiled and dipped his head.

"But is your best really good enough?"

I glanced over my shoulder at the sound of a **snarky** voice. It belonged to a woman seated almost horizontally across from Xemnas, two seats down from Axel. She had short blond hair, and two strands were shooting straight up out of the top of her head, making her look like a **bug**. She had green eyes like Axel and Vexen, but hers seemed a lot colder and meaner. Her smirk was really mean-looking, too; I felt a little intimidated.

"I mean, come _on_," she giggled, looking down her nose at me. "Is _this _really what we've been waiting for? Is this _thing_ Vexen's big project? Looks like another failure to me." I winced and shrank back. I'm not a failure. I'm_ not_.

Vexen's face turned red, and he leaned forward to glare at the woman. "Larxene, you miserable little dunce, how dare you insult my work?! Krixu is the culmination of months of hard labor and intellectual strain, and has come out a complete success! What would you know about replication technology?!"

_Larxene_? Oh, Axel told me to watch out for her. I can see why – she doesn't seem all that nice. I'll stay away from her.

Larxene glared daggers at Vexen. "Why, you…! At least I know a thing or two about looks – something that has apparently escaped your _genius _mind, old man!"

"WHAT?!" Vexen roared, face even redder.

Larxene smiled cruelly down at me. "Just _look_ at that thing! If you were gonna make him into a girl, the least you could do was make her _pretty_. She's too scrawny, her hair's a mess, and her face – _ugh_! If I had a face like that, I'd go jump off a cliff!" I blinked up at her. Was she…was she calling me **ugly**? But Axel and Vexen said I was pretty…my hands clenched into fists. How could she judge me, anyway? I didn't think she was pretty, either, but I wasn't going to be mean and say it out loud.

"Aw, leave her alone, Larxene," Axel cut in, waving a hand in her direction. "It's all perspective, isn't it? I think she looks fine – great, actually." He winked at me. I smiled up at him – he was such a nice friend.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that means _so much _coming from _you_, Axel. You'd do pretty much anything that moves."

Axel smiled slightly. "No comment. Seriously, though, even if she were terrible-looking – which she's _not_, got it memorized? – there's no need to put her down like that. The fact that you're no longer the only girl in the Organization is no reason for jealousy."

Larxene's two little hairs stood on end, and the look on her face somehow reminded me of Saïx. "Jealous?! I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous of an ugly little shrimp like _that_?! You all agree with me, right?!" She looked around hopefully at the other members.

"On the contrary, Larxene," a man with dark brown **dreadlocks **and large **sideburns** spoke up, "I must side with Axel. Certainly, she is not extraordinary, but she is not as hideous as you so describe. I would say _above average_."

"I think she's pretty!" a brown-haired boy piped up.

"_Pretty_?!" the guy with the eye patch scoffed. "Are you kiddin' me, Dem? The rookie's a frickin' _sex goddess_." He blinked his good eye at me a couple times – it might've been a wink, but I couldn't really tell. "And I'm ready to worship, baby." He licked his lips.

"Knock it off, Xigbar," Axel grumbled, rolling his eyes. "No one needs to hear about your hyperactive sex drive. The kid's only a day old, for crying out loud."

"Shut up, Axel! You just want this hottie for yourself!"

"_Again_ with that? Do you people really think so little of my character?"

"Yes," everyone said at once.

"Go to hell, all of you."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Um…Axel…?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Enough," Saïx ordered, his voice echoing in the empty space. Everyone shut up and turned to look at him. "The puppet's appearance is unnecessary; all that matters is that it executes its purpose."

"But _can _our new comrade execute her purpose?" a smooth voice asked. The speaker was a pink-haired, pretty man seated two chairs down from Saïx. He was sipping a clear liquid from a **wineglass **and looking down at me, smiling in a way that reminded me of Xemnas. "Does this girl, whom we have been eagerly awaiting for many a long month, have the capabilities to fulfill the destiny decided for her since before her birth?" He looked up at Xemnas expectantly.

Xemnas dipped his head again, blinking slowly. "I have seen this girl's power with my own eyes; she is what we have been searching for. She is the Chosen Wielder." He smiled down at me. "Number XIV…Krixu…show us your strength. Summon your Keyblade."

I nodded once and stuck my arm out to the side, calling out through the haze for my Way to Dawn. Darkness swirled around my hand, and I felt the blade materialize against my palm. I swung the blade a couple times experimentally, feeling the air whoosh past me with each slash, and finally struck my fighting stance – my right arm drawn back with the Keyblade inches from my cheek, and my left arm stuck out, palm up, in a "come and get me" gesture.

The members gasped and began muttering to each other, nodding their heads approvingly. Even Larxene looked impressed. Axel winked at me, looking **proud**. I smiled back, dropping my arms to my sides. I'd done a good thing; they really liked that I could use the Keyblade. I was in for sure now.

I suddenly felt a rush of darkness beside me, and a hand clapped down hard on my shoulder; it was the pink-haired man. "Most impressive," he murmured, **leering **down at me. "So this is the power of the Other One…" I stepped back and lifted my blade again, too scared to speak but giving him a message that I didn't want him near me. The man didn't seem frightened; instead of backing off, he reached out and grabbed the blade of my Way to Dawn, caressing it gently. "Such power," he said in wonder. "So much more tangible than that of our other dear bearer…if only _I_ could possess such strength…"

"H-Hey!" I gasped, terrified. "L-Let go!" I wrenched my Keyblade out of his grasp and scrambled backwards, breathing hard.

The man smiled and laughed quietly. "Oh, come now, my dear, I won't hurt you…I just want to hold that lovely blade of yours…" He took a step towards me and stretched out his arm…

There was a roar of darkness, and two corridors opened up: one right next to me, and one behind the man. I felt an arm wrap around me protectively and pull me away from the man. "Don't even think about it, Marluxia," I heard Axel growl.

At the same time, Vexen leapt out of the portal, shield drawn and looking like some kind of wild animal (only a bit funnier, in a disturbing sort of way). "Marluxia, I swear, if you touch even _one hair_ on my Krixu's head, I will strap you to my operating table and dissect your gallbladder!"

The man, Marluxia (someone else I had to watch out for, I remembered – a very good idea), smirked and looked at Vexen out of the corner of his eye. "_Your _Krixu? Dear me, perhaps _you're_ the one we need to protect her from, Vexen." A **vein** twitched dangerously in Vexen's forehead. Marluxia looked back at me. "And at any rate, you have no need to fear, either of you. I just want to see the Keyblade for a moment…"

"Oh?" Axel responded. I could hear the smile in his voice. "Are you really sure you want to do that, Marluxia? After all, the mystical Keyblade is beyond human comprehension. If it's separated from it's master, something _nasty_ could happen, got it memorized?"

Marluxia took a step closer. "Oh, I think I'm willing to take that chance."

"All of you _sit down_!" Saïx ordered, his face twisted in a snarl. Marluxia hesitated, but opened up a dark corridor at his feet and reappeared in his chair a second later. Vexen did the same, muttering darkly.

Axel's arm squeezed my waist. "Whoo, that was a close one, eh, Kri? Just remember what I told you, 'kay, and keep your distance from ole Pinky up there." I looked over at Marluxia nervously to see if he had heard (not that I doubted it – Axel spoke really loud), but he had taken off one of his gloves and was cleaning his fingernails, so I guess he didn't care too much.

Saïx glared over at us. "You, too, Axel. Return to your seat _this instant_."

"Ah, no, I'd rather stay," Axel answered casually, brushing a bit of dirt off his coat. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"_Axel_…!"

"Jeez, Ax, you seem to be pretty attached to Cutie Pie over there," the eye patch man, Xigbar, called out. "You sure you ain't getting' dirty with her?"

Axel looked over at Saïx imploringly. "Can I hit him?"

"AXEL, SIT DOWN!" Saïx roared.

"Oh, come on, please? Just enough so I could take his other eye out. Won't take ten seconds."

"As if, ya closet-perv," Xigbar scoffed.

"Oh_-ho,_ you hypocritical little bastard, I'll come up there and emasculate you, you see if I don't!"

"Axel," Xemnas interjected sternly.

There was a beat of silence, and then Axel let go of me and stepped back, his arms up in **surrender**. "Sure thing, boss man." He turned and started walking back towards his chair.

"Yeah, you better run, Flamesilocks!" Xigbar called after him, sneering.

What happened next was so fast I didn't even know it had happened until it was too late; there was a flash of fire, and the next moment, something big and pointy was lodged into Xigbar's chair, just inches from his shocked face. Another one of these pointy things was in Axel's right hand. His left arm was held straight in front of him; he must've just thrown the other thing. Everyone gasped, and then there was silence.

"HOLY SHIT!" Xigbar yelled finally. "What the _hell_, man?! You just threw a freaking chakram at my perfect face!!!"

"Yeah, I know. I was there," Axel replied cheerfully, straightening up. "That was some crap aim, though, right, Kri? Should probably work on that…"

"Did you see that?!" Xigbar shouted at Xemnas and Saïx, his one eye bugging out of his head. "Did you fricking see that?! He almost killed a superior member! You're not just gonna let him walk away, are ya?"

"Axel, return to your seat this instant," Xemnas ordered firmly, eyes narrowed to slits. Axel obeyed, waving a hand to get rid of his weapons (chakrams…?) in another burst of flame. "Saïx, please give the appropriate punishment upon conclusion of the meeting."

"With pleasure, Superior," Saïx replied, glowering at Axel. Axel waggled his fingers in a "bring-it-on" way.

"Well, I for one find this new player to be most advantageous," a blond man with a beard observed. He was holding five or six small pieces of paper in his hands (**playing cards**…?) and was eyeing them lazily as he spoke. "The house has not one, but two aces up its sleeve. The stakes of this game have increased, but then again, so have the prizes."

"Hey, you're right!" the brown-haired boy said excitedly. "Roxas has a new little playmate now! Isn't that great?"

"Perhaps this will finally persuade him to show some actual emotion," someone else said.

"Pfft! Like you're one to talk, Zexion."

"Still, maybe the kid won't be such a zombie anymore now that he'll have a little friend."

"Let's hope so. Perhaps then he'll actually get his work done."

All the members were talking amongst themselves and looking at a point right above my head. What were they going on about? Roxas…wasn't that the name of the thirteenth member? The one who could use the Keyblade like me? Was he here? I hoped so. I really wanted to meet him. I wanted to hear about his travels, and what kind of monsters he'd battled. But more than that, I wanted to see who was the strongest out of the two of us. Maybe we'd spar a little. Feeling excited, I followed everyone's gazes and turned around to look…

Sitting right behind me, in the smallest chair of the bunch (but still pretty tall), was a boy about my age, perhaps a year younger. He had sandy blond hair that stuck out on one side, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes. His face was blank and expressionless – not like he was trying to hide something, but like there really wasn't anything going on in his brain.

But still, when I looked at him, something changed – his eyes suddenly came into focus, and then lit up. He leaned forward, frowning in concentration. His lips trembled as he struggled to form a word. "R…Ri…"

But I couldn't hear him. I was confused, too. This boy…he looked so familiar…where had I seen him before? Not in the dark place, and I couldn't remember anything before that…but those eyes…where had…?

A picture suddenly flashed before my eyes – it wasn't the blond boy sitting in the chair anymore, but another boy, with the same face and eyes, but with brown hair and red clothes. My eyes widened – I remembered! That boy was from the island! I knew him! "S…S –" But then there was an explosion of light and color in my head, and I suddenly found myself falling back to darkness. I heard a scream, and the sound of waves, and a voice…

"_Riku!"_

…

* * *

Well, that was...interesting. Next chapter will have the official meetings of the other members, along with some logistical stuff about the Organization and a familiar haunt. I'll start working on this as soon as I update Hellfire. Be sure to check out the progress report on my profile page!


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